speed zone study 9/1980SPEED STUDY IN 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES
SEPTEMBER - 1980
THERE ARE EIGHTEEN (18) GRADE SCHOOLS IN OUR CITY, THREE (3) JR. HIGH
SCHOOLS, FOUR (4) SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS AND TWO (2) COLLEGES. NOT ALL OF
THESE SCHOOL AREAS ARE PROTECTED BY 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES ADJACENT TO THE
SCHOOL GROUNDS; HOWEVER, THE ONES THAT ARE NOT PROTECTED ARE POTENTIAL AREAS
TO BE PROTECTED. WE STUDIED ONLY THE STREETS THAT HAVE 20 M.P.H. SPEED
ZONE PROTECTION.
THERE ARE SEVENTY-EIGHT (78) 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES IPJ THE SCHOOL AREAS,
OF WHICH FIFTY-FIVE (55) ARE ZONES POSTED 20 M.P.H. DURING THE HOURS OF
8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.; (ALL ADJACENT TO SCHOOL GROUNDS) AND SEVENTEEN (17)
OF THESE ZONES ARE ON EITHER AN ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR STREET. THE ATTACHED
MAP SHOWS ALL 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES IN THE CITY.
STREET TYPE OF 20 M.P.H. ZONE ON ARTERIAL NUMBER OF ZONES
COLOR OR COLLECTOR
RED 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE 17 55
8:00 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
BLUE 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE 10 12
8:00 A.M. TO 9:00 A.M.
11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M.
3:00 P.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
YELLOW 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE 11 11
WHILE FLASHING
38 78
OUR STUDY SHOWS THAT AT THE 85TH PERCENTILE THE AVERAGE SPEED IN THE
20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES IN THE SCHOOL AREAS IS 26.6 M.P.H., AND THAT AN AVERAGE
OF 74% OF ALL VEHICLES TRAVELING THROUGH THESE 20 M.P.H. ZONES ARE
EXCEEDING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT.
OUR STUDY ALSO SHOWS THAT THE DRIVERS WERE NOT TRAVELING ANY FASTER
ON THE STREET PRIOR TO THE 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE THAN THEY WERE IN THE
REDUCED SPEED ZONE, EXCEPT DURING THE CRITICAL HOURS OF 8:00 A.M. TO
9:00 A.M., 11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
THERE WAS A 4 M.P.H. SPEED REDUCTION DURING SAID TIME PERIOD FROM
THE 15 MINUTE PERIOD BEFORE AND AFTER THE CRITICAL HOURS. THE AVERAGE
SPEED BEFORE AND AFTER WAS 23 M.P.H., WHILE THE AVERAGE SPEED DURING
THE CRITICAL HOURS WERE 19 M.P.H. EVEN THE SPEED DURING THE 15 MINUTE
PERIOD BEFORE AND AFTER THE CRITICAL HOURS IS LOWER THAN THE AVERAGE
SPEED OF 26.6 M.P.H. DURING THE REST OF THE DAY.
THIS IS AN INDICATION THAT THE 20 M.P.H. SPEED LIMIT FROM 8:00 A.M.
TO 4:00 P.M. IS UNREALISTIC AND THAT THE DRIVERS DRIVE ACCORDING TO THE
CONDITION OF THE STREET RATHER THAN THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT.
IT APPEARS THAT MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT THERE IS GREATER PROTECTION
IN A 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE ADJACENT TO THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, WHEN, IN FACT,
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY IS CREATED FOR STUDENTS IF
THEY FEEL THAT THERE IS ANY SIGNIFICANT PROTECTION OFFERED BY THE 20
M.P.H. SPEED ZONES.
MANY SCHOOLS HAVE AND ALL SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE SIDEWALKS ADJACENT
TO THE SCHOOL GROUNDS AND ALONG THE SCHOOL ROUTES TO AND FROM THE SCHOOLS.
WHEN THE STUDENTS HAVE THE PHYSICAL SEPARATION FROM TRAFFIC OFFERED BY
SIDEWALKS AND THESE CROSSING LOCATIONS ARE PROTECTED BY SIGNAL LIGHTS
OR STOP SIGN TRAFFIC CONTROL, THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY ADDITIONAL HAZARD
EXPOSURE IN A 30 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE THAN IN A 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONE.
THEREFORE, THERE SHOULD NOT BE A NEED FOR A REDUCTION IN SPEED AT ANY
(2)
TIME AT THESE LOCATIONS.
AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THERE ARE FIFTY=FIVE (55) 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES
ADJACENT TO SCHOOL GROUNDS THAT ARE POSTED FOR 8:00 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.
SEVENTEEN (17) OF THESE 20 M.P.H. ZONES ARE ON ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR
STREETS, OF WHICH TEN (10) ZONES HAVE THE PROTECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND
SIGNALIZED CROSSINGS. ONE, (SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL) HAS THE PROTECTION OF
SIDEWALK AND STOP SIGN PROTECTION AT THE CROSSWALK.
MOST DRIVERS ARE REASONABLE AND PRUDENT WITH NO INTENTION OF
MALICIOUSLY VIOLATING TRAFFIC REGULATIONS: HOWEVER, WHEN AN UNREASONABLE
RESTRICTION IS IMPOSED, IT MAY RESULT IN FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS. IN SUCH
CASES, A REDUCED SPEED LIMIT CAN CREATE A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY IN A
PEDESTRIAN AND AN ATTITUDE OF CONTEMPT IN A MOTORIST. THESE TWO ATTITUDES
CAN, AND OFTEN DO, CAUSE TRAGIC RESULTS.
A COMMON BELIEF IS THAT POSTING A SPEED LIMIT WILL INFLUENCE DRIVERS
TO DRIVE AT THAT SPEED. THE FACTS INDICATE OTHERWISE. RESEARCH CONDUCTED
IN SALINA AND MANY OTHER CITIES OVER A SPAN OF SEVERAL YEARS HAS SHOWN THAT
DRIVERS ARE INFLUENCED MORE BY THE APPEARANCE OF THE STREET OR HIGHWAY
ITSELF AND THE PREVAILING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS THEN BY THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT.
WHERE SPEED LIMIT SIGNS ARE POSTED FOR A LOWER LIMIT THAN IS NEEDED TO
SAFELY MEET THE CONDITIONS, MANY DRIVERS WILL SIMPLY IGNORE THE SIGNS. AT
THE SAME TIME, OTHER DRIVERS WILL STAY WITHIN THE POSTED LIMITS. THIS
GENERALLY INCREASES THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN FASTER AND SLOWER DRIVERS, REDUCE
THE GAP IN TRAFFIC THROUGH WHICH CROSSINGS COULD BE MADE SAFETY, AND INCREASE
THE DIFFICULTY FOR PEDESTRIANS TO JUDGE THE SPEED OF APPROACHING VEHICLES.
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT WHERE UNIFORMITY OF SPEED IS NOT MAINTAINED, ACCIDENTS
GENERALLY INCREASE.
(3)
IN VIEW OF THESE FACTS, IT IS FELT THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER INCREASING
THE SPEED LIMIT FROM 20 M.P.H. TO 30 M.P.H. IN THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED SCHOOL
AREAS. THESE AREAS ARE ALL ON ARTERIAL OR COLLECTOR STREETS. THEY HAVE GOOD
SCHOOL CROSSING PROTECTION FOR THE AGE GROUP OF CHILDREN IN EACH. AREA. THE
LOCATION AND TYPE OF SCHOOL CROSSING PROTECTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1. NINTH STREET ADJACENT TO HAWTHORNE SCHOOL HAS THE
PROTECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A PUSH BUTTON MID -BLOCK
CROSSING.
2. NINTH STREET ADJACENT TO SACRED HEART SCHOOL HAS THE
PROTECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND THE PROTECTION OF A SIGNAL-
IZED INTERSECTION FOR CROSSING.
3. NINTH STREET ADJACENT TO BARTLETT SCHOOL HAS THE PRO-
TECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION WITH
PEDESTRIAN PUSH BUTTON CROSSWALK.
4. NINTH STREET ADJACENT TO FRANKLIN SCHOOL HAS THE PRO-
TECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A PUSH BUTTON MID -BLOCK CROSSING.
5. CLOUD STREET ADJACENT TO HAGEMAN SCHOOL HAS THE PROTECTION
OF SIDEWALKS AND PUSH BUTTON MID -BLOCK CROSSING.
6. CLOUD STREET ADJACENT TO ST. MARY'S SCHOOL HAS THE PRO-
TECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION WITH
PEDESTRIAN PUSH BUTTON CROSSING.
7. IRON AVENUE ADJACENT TO OAKDALE SCHOOL HAS THE PROTECTION
OF SIDEWALKS AND A PUSH BUTTON MID -BLOCK CROSSING.
8. CRAWFORD AVENUE ADJACENT TO CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL HAS THE
PROTECTION OF TWO SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS, ONE AT CRAWFORD
AND FRONT STREET AND ONE AT CRAWFORD AND ROACH STREET, AND
ONE MID -BLOCK PUSH BUTTON PEDESTRIAN CROSSING.
9. FRONT STREET ADJACENT TO CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL HAS THE PRO-
TECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION FOR PED-
ESTRIAN CROSSING.
10. MAGNOLIA ROAD ADJACENT TO SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL HAS THE
PROTECTION OF SIDEWALKS AND A FOUR-WAY STOP INTERSECTION
FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSING.
THESE CHANGES WILL BE MORE REALISTIC SPEED LIMITS FOR EACH LOCATION.
IT WILL BE LESS INCONVENIENT TO THE TRAVELING PUBLIC WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING
ANY SAFETY TO THE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND WILL CREATE MORE RESPECT FOR THE
REMAINING SPEED ZONES.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES IN THE ABOVE.DESCRIBED
AREAS BE INCREASED TO 30 M.P.N.
IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE TIME OF ENFORCEMENT ON THE REMAINING FORTY-
FIVE 20 M.P.H. SPEED ZONES ADJACENT TO SCHOOL GROUND 1 BE CHANGED FROM(:00 A.M.
TO 4:00 P.M) TO (:00 A.M. TO 9:00 A.M.; 11:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. AND 3:00 P.M.
TO 4:00 P.M),
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